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The Music Industry 101 with Prolific Hit-Maker Ross Golan

Ross Golan is the songwriter of choice for Selena Gomez, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park and he’s the host of the always interesting And The Writer Is podcast. Today he shares, how he first started in the music industry, his process for writing music, what “Song Math” is and more.

On today’s show, he shares about the importance of learning how to communicate effectively, the role that math plays in songwriting, how the song “My House” came to be, and much, much, more…

“YOU GUYS ARE BRILLIANT, ENTERTAINING, AND CRUSHING IT!”

“You are my favorite person I’ve ever been interviewed by, I am laughing the whole time. No wonder your podcast and everything you are doing is so successful”

– Devan Kline(Founder of Burn Boot Camp)

“THIS HAS BEEN THRILLING.”

– Seth Godin(Best-Selling Author of 18 BooksIncluding Purple Cow)

“I really appreciate you.”

– Jeff Hoffman(Serial Entrepreneur and Co-Author of SCALE)

Ross Golan 101:

Ross Golan was born on April 8th, 1980 and he has gone on to become a multi-platinum songwriter who is originally from Deerfield, Illinois. Golan attended and later graduated from Deerfield High School in the year 1998. After high school, he decided to go on to study music at the University of Southern California.

What Artists Ross Golan Has Worked With?

Throughout his multi-platinum career, Ross Golan has written songs for hundreds of artists including a nearly countless list of top 40 music and pop music artists including:

What Record Deals Has Ross Golan Had?

Throughout Ross Golan’s career, he has had a variety of record deals including, the first deal that he signed in 2003 with Insider Trading Company / EMI which was actually a record label that Ross started while still attending college. Ross’s label decided to join up with Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) and their president at the time to release “Reagan Baby.” Soon after, Ross Golan went along to co-found a band by the name of Glacier Hiking which a hybrid publishing/label deal with the well-known Lionsgate team. Ross Golan’s band then decided to release a self-titled EP (Extended Play recording) before deciding to break up in 2009. He then signed his underground musical project, The Wrong Man to Interscope Records.

How Did Ross Golan Get Started in Songwriting?

Much like most songwriters, Ross Golan got started in high school as a broke student who wanted to make a living for himself. He was in a band that was doing well and signed to a record label (the same record label as Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic) and his agent along with Ryan Tedder talked to Ross and encouraged him to try his hand at songwriting, so he did.

What Is Ross Golan’s Creative Process Like?

Inspiration for Ross comes from many different places but some of his biggest hits have come to him while doing tasks such as driving around town or walking his dog. When an idea hits, he will stop everything and record all of his ideas into his phone. The process then really takes off by trying to collaborate with other people and seeing what others can contribute to the song.

How Does Ross Golan Work with Artists Who Feel Stuck Into One Particular Music Genre?

Simply put, he embraces it. Many people have asked his advice about this subject and embracing it is something he preaches. Each genre a songwriter writes for has its own “math” and language that people can identify with so you have to adjust your writing for that genre.

What Are The Best Words of Wisdom Artists Can Glean From the Podcast?

The most successful songwriters all view it as a job and not the common misconception of writing lyrics is more of a party. They show up every day and put in work by studying who they are writing for and what is popular in that genre at that time.

What Music Did Ross Golan Create?

Ross Golan created and developed the critically acclaimed musical known as The Wrong Man, which was written about a man who ultimately was wrongly accused of a crime that was committed in Reno, Nevada. A modified version of Ross Golan’s show ran in Los Angeles during February of 2014 and went on to receive three Ovation Awards out of the four nominations that it received including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Lyrics and Music.

What Podcasts Has Ross Golan Produced?

Ross Golan has recorded and produces his podcast, And the Writer is with his co-producer Joe London. Throughout their career, Ross Golan has interviewed such iconic songwriters and artists as:

Jon Bellion – Jon is the songwriter who debuted his album “The Human Condition” on the top 5 on the Billboard Top 200. His song “All Time Low” went on to become a three-time multi-platinum hit “All Time Low.” Throughout Jon’s career, he has written hits for multi-platinum artists including Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets” and Christina Aguilera’s “Fall In Line (Featuring Demi Lovato).”

Charlie XCX – She was ultimately the last guest of season 3 of And the Writer Is and she is both a BRIT and Grammy-nominated songwriter. Throughout her career she has been credited with writing “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, “I Love It” by Icona Pop, etc. Throughout her career she has also decided to write for such artists as Selena Gomez, David Guetta, Blondie, James Blunt, Stargate, Afrojack, Camilla Cabello, etc.

David Israelite– David isn’t a songwriter, but what he does makes a huge impact on songwriters. He is the CEO and President of the National Music Publishers’ Association. His work has been splendid on furthering the progression of the Music Modernization ACT (MMA) which is new legislation that aims to improve royalty payments to songwriters, artists, and creatives in the digital era.

Bebe Rexha – Bebe is an outstanding songwriter, singer, and artist. She released the No.1 multi-platinum hit single “Meant to Be” featuring Florida Georgia Line. Her stellar song writing skills created “The Monster” by Eminem and Rhianna, and “Me, Myself & I” by G-Eazy.

Emily Warren – Emily is a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist and songwriter. This incredibly talented woman has written songs for mainstream pop artists such as Dua Lipa, Shawn Mendes, Frenship and more.

John Feldmann – featured on season 3, John is a multi-talented man. John is the co-founder, lead singer, songwriter, and producer of the most influential American punk rock group, Goldfinger. His outstanding production and writing style is a creative force that drives the pulse of Punk, Pop/Punk, Rock, and Alternative music. He has written hits for Panic! At the Disco, 5 Seconds of Summer, and many more incredibly gifted artists!

Allee Willis – Allee is one of a kind. She is a Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning and nominated songwriter. Her hits include “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind & Fire. She co-authored Oprah Winfrey’s produced Tony and Grammy-winning musical, The Color Purple. This multi-talented woman has written for Diana Ross, Cher, Ray Charles, Boy George, and many more incredibly gifted artists!

Joe London – Joe was featured on season 3 of the podcast, Joe is a man who makes everyone sound like angels. He is a Grammy-nominated and ACM award-winning songwriter and producer. He has written the Grammy-nominated and BMI Country Song of the Year, “Die A Happy Man;” Pitbull’s “Fireball;” and Jason Derulo’s “Wiggle” (feat. Snoop Dogg),” and Sage The Gemini’s “Now and Later.” He is a renowned producer who co-wrote and co-produced Thomas Rhett’s Grammy-nominated album “Life Changes”.

David Hodges – Featured on Season 3, David has quite the resume. He is a multi-platinum, Golden Globe-nominated, Grammy and BMI award-winning songwriter and producer with over 65 million records sold to date. He has worked with megastars such as Keith Urban, Maren Morris, Jason Mraz, and Christina Aguilera.

Nick Jonas – A former recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s prestigious Hal David Starlight Award, Nick Jonas is an unbelievably talented guy. He is a multi-platinum, Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated recording artist, actor, and award-winning songwriter. His hits include a No. 1 U.S. radio hit, “Jealous” and single “Chains.” His sophomore solo album debuted as the No.1 selling album of the week. As an actor, he appeared in Fox’s horror-comedy series, “Scream Queens” and the show “Kingdom.”

Mozella – Mozella, a Detroit native, is an amazing songwriter. This artist is one of the most sought after collaborators in the business. She has written some of Pop’s music most influential hits such as Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball”, One Direction’s chart-topping “Perfect”, and Kelly Clarkson’s Grammy-nominated “Love So Soft.” It’s her mission to create honest music and lyrics that inspire human connections.

Busbee – Busbee’s career in the music industry is quite remarkable. He is a prominent Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and publisher. Best known for carving parallel careers in mainstream Pop and commercial Country. Busbee has written with and produced for a wide range of artists, including Gwen Stefani, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Bellion, and many more artists.

Ryan Tedder – Ryan kicked off Season 3 of the podcast. This gifted songwriter and Grammy-winning record producer has penned songs for the likes of Adele, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran and worked with some of music’s most influential legends such as Stevie Wonder, Beyonce and Paul McCartney.

Mike Posner – A Season 2 feature finale. This inspirational artist and songwriter, first release “Cooler Than Me” went on to be a multi-platinum hit single and earned more than 3 million in sales in the US. One of the industry’s most sought after songwriters, he has written hits for Maroon 5 “Sugar”, Justin Bieber “Boyfriend”, and Big Sean “Don’t Tell Me You Love,” and more talented artists.

Andy Grammer – Genuine and authentic, Andy Grammer is passionate about spreading positivity and truth through music. He is a multi-platinum hitmaker who is the first male pop star in a decade to reach the Top 10 on Adult Pop Radio with “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine By Me” off of his debut self titled album.

Lindy Robbins – Lyrical genius, Lindy Robbins is responsible for crafting David Guetta’s #1 hit “Dangerous (feat. Sam Martin)”, the top 10 charting single “Skyscraper” for Demi Lovato, as well as the 2006 Disney Radio Song of the Year “Cinderella” by Cheetah Girls. Her career includes songwriting credits for major artists such as Jason Mraz, One Direction, Brandy and countless other well-known artists.

Kenny “BabyFace” Edmonds – With more Grammys, you can tally with both hands, Kenny “BabyFace” is a gifted man. He is the co-founder of LaFace Records with L.A. Reid, is a masterful songwriter. Throughout his career, he has had 200 Top 10 R&B hits, over 50 Top 10 Pop singles, and 16 No. 1’s. He is responsible for nurturing the careers of megastars such as TLC, OutKast, Usher, P!nk, and Toni Braxton. He penned hits for legendary superstars Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Barbra Streisand.

Sir Nolan Lambroza – Sir Nolan has worked with some of the most influential pop artists in the music industry. His co-writing and production credits include the No.1 hits “Good For You (feat. A$AP Rocky)” by Selena Gomez and “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. He also penned the top 10 hits “All In My Head (Flex)” by Fifth Harmony and “Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera) by Pitbull.

Zach Crowell – Popular songwriter Zach Crowell is gifted when it comes to producing record-breaking music. He co-wrote and co-produced Sam Hunt’s album “Montevallo,’ including “Body Like a Back Road,’ which shattered records for the most consecutive weeks on top of the Billboard’s hot country songs chart as the longest-running No. 1 by a solo artist in history. He is the winner of CMA Triple Play Award.

Ashley Gorley – Remarkable is one to describe Ashley’s exceptional songwriting career. He has written 35 No. 1 singles and had more than 300 songs recorded by artists such as Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, and Brad Paisley. He was named the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He received the CMA Triple Play Award nine times in his career.

Nicolle Galyon – Highly successful songwriter Nicolle has written some incredible No. 1 hits. She earned her first No. 1 song with “We Were Us” performed by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert. She eventually partnered again with Lambert and won the ACM’s 2015 ‘Song of the Year’ and the CMA’s 2014 ‘Single of the Year’ for “Automatic.” She co-wrote and co-produced RaeLynn’s album ‘Wild Horse’, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It marked the first time in 10 years a female has co-produced an album that debuted No. 1 on the Country Album chart.

Rhett Akins – Mastermind Rhett Akins has written chart-toppers for some of country music’s biggest names. He’s had 28 No.1 singles (and counting!), and was named the No. 4 Billboard Country Songwriter. He co-wrote Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee,” which became the highest selling digital debut by a country male solo artist. He is also a successful solo artist with a No. 1 hit “Don’t Get Me Started”.

Thomas Rhett – Thomas Rhett writes melodies that climbs the charts. He has penned songs for Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia, Scotty McCreery, Joe Nichols, and Lee Brice. He contributed to Jason Aldean’s 4x-platinum album “My Kinda Party.” He also is an incredible performer. His Album “Life Changes” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard and features smash hits such as “Unforgettable” and “Craving You feat. Maren Morris.”

Dan Wilson – If you ever listened to top hits such as Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and the Dixie Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice” then you are very familiar with the incredible work of Dan. He is a remarkable artist, songwriter, and producer, and also the frontman of rock group Semisonic. He has produced some of the most iconic pop songs of the last three decades. Artists he has written for include Taylor Swift, Chris Stapleton, P!nk, Phantogram, Noah Cyrus, and Bishop Briggs.

Claude Kelly – Four-time Grammy nominee Claud Kelly is a music icon. He has penned chart-topping hits for well-known artists over the last two decades. This list includes Britney Spears “Circus,” Bruno Mars’s “Grenade,” and Miley Cyrus’s “Party In the U.S.A.” He has also worked with notable artists such as Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, Christian Aguilera, and John Legend.

Charlie Puth – Charlie’s work is cutting-edge and simply amazing. He co-wrote and was featured on the 9x Multi-Platinum single “See You Again,” by Wiz Khalifa, which was featured on the “Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”. His platinum debut album “Nine Track Mind” featured the hit singles, “Marvin Gaye (feat. Meghan Trainor), “One Call Away,” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez)”.

Julia Michaels – Julia is young, bright, and incredibly gifted. Featured on season 2 of the podcast, at the time she had recently released her debut mini-album “Nervous System”. The album’s first single “Issues” went 6x Platinum worldwide. This young woman has quite the resume as she has co-written songs for Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Nick Jonas.

Jack Antonoff – Music artist Taylor Swift’s Top 10 radio single ‘Look What You Made Me Do,’ was co-produced and co-wrote by this bright man. Jack’s workmanship also includes Lorde’s smash sophomore album, “Melodrama,” including it’s infectious single ‘Green Light,’ and even dropped a sophomore album of his own called “Gone Now.”

Desmond Child – Legend is the perfect word to describe songwriter Desmond. Exceptionally talented, he is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and personally co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has five decades in the music industry business. His craftsmanship includes songs Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Joan Jett & The Blackheart’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and many other big hits.

Ali Tamposi– Ali is a high caliber songwriter. She has penned many hit songs such as Kelly Clarkson’s smash “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You Feat. Justin Bieber,” and Kygo’s “It Ain’t Me fest. Selena Gomez,” which went on to be the No.2 song on the Top 40 radio.

Simon Wilcox — Brilliant songwriter Simon Wilcox has multiple platinum and gold singles under her belt. She has penned songs such as “Jealous” by Nick Jonas, “Duele El Corazon” by Enrique Iglesias, and “Write On Me” Fifth Harmony. She is known for her versatility and spot-on lyricism.

John Ryan — The mastermind songwriter behind One Direction’s radio hits is this man. He co-wrote the band’s popular singles such as “Drag Me Down”, “Best Song Ever”, and “Story of My Life”. He has also worked with other greats including Maroon 5 (“Don’t Wanna Know”), Pitbull (“Fireball”), and Jason Derulo (Wiggle).

Noel Zancanella — Grammy award winner and BMI Songwriter of the Year awardee, Noel Zancanella is a very talented man. He has penned hits such as OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars”, Demi Lovato’s “Neon Lights”, and Ellie Goulding’s “Burn.”

The Script — Known in their community for their songwriting mastery and amazing storytelling skills, The Script is definitely a multi-talented band. Since the release of the 2008 No.1 self-titled debut album, they have gone on to sell out stadiums. Among their lyrical hits are “Breakeven” and “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”.

Luke Laird — Luke is a standout Country music songwriter. He has written 23 No.1 Country Singles on the Billboard Charts. Among those hits include Luke Bryan’s “Fast”. He has worked with other great artists such as Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name” and Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids”, and Blake Shelton’s “Hillbilly Bone (feat. Trace Adkins).

Ricky Reed — This Grammar award nominee producer and highly talented songwriter have penned notable hits such as Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty”, Meghan Trainer’s “No”, and Twenty One Pilots’ “Ride.” He has his very own imprint label under Atlantic, Nice Life Recording Company.

Mikkel Eriksen — This great producer-songwriter has a track record for producing massive No. 1 hits. He has production and writing credits on popular No.1 singles such as Ne-Yo’s “So Sick”, Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”, and Katy Perry’s “Firework”.

Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and The Tantrums — A lead songwriter of the widely popular LA-based band, Michael is an incredibly skilled lyricist. The band has penned radio hits such as “Breaking The Chains of Love”, “Moneygrabber”, and “Out of My League”.

Bonnie McKee — Bonnie’s resume is beyond impressive. She has made a name for herself with numerous No.1 hits in the music industry as a female songwriter. She has worked on songs such as Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F,)”, “California Gurls”, “Roar”, as well as the Britney Spears hit “Hold It Against Me” and Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”.

Evan Bogart — Evan has written worldwide hits for a number of great artists. His passion for good music shows up in the incredible songs he has penned for others. He has written for the likes of Beyonce’s “Halo”, Ashley Tisdale’s “He Said, She Said”, and Rihanna’s “SOS”.

LunchMoney Lewis — LunchMoney has a gift for writing hit songs. He is the co-writer of songs such as Fifth Harmony’s ‘Bo$$’ and Jessie J’s ‘Burnin’ Up’. Known in the industry for his contagious positive spirit, he is well-sought after for his upbeat attitude and stellar writing skills.

Jason Evigan — Exceptional songwriter Jason has penned a number of worldwide No. 1 hits. He has co-written songs including Jason Derulo’s smash “Talk Dirty”, Nick Jonas “Chains”, and David Guetta’s “Lovers on the Sun”.

Justin Tranter — One of the top creative minds in the music industry, Justin has penned hits including Justin Beiber’s “Sorry”, Nick Jonas’ “Close feat. Tove Lo”, and Maroon 5’s single “Cold feat. Future”. He was featured on season 1 of the podcast.

Sean Douglas — Diverse. It’s definitely an accurate description of Sean’s impressive writing skills. He has written many club bangers and country ballads. His work earned him Grammy nominee for Best Country Song in 2017. He was featured on season 1.

Savan Kotecha — Savan elite’s mind has crafted some of the world’s biggest records. An outstanding writer and businessman, his handiwork is top-notch.

J Kash — J Kash is continuing to climb the ladder of success in the music industry. After hitting rock bottom, he refused to stay down. This relentless guy is a star in the music community for his writing. J Kash was featured on episode 2, season 1.

Benny Blanco — There are some people who are really great in their craft and then there are those that are unbelievable exceptional at what they do. Benny Blanco is one of them. A recipient of the Hal David award given by the Songwriter Hall of Fame by the age of 28, Benny’s handiwork is top-notch. In fact, he has penned too many No. 1 songs to count. He was interviewed on episode 1 of season 1.

“YOU GUYS ARE BRILLIANT, ENTERTAINING, AND CRUSHING IT!”

“You are my favorite person I’ve ever been interviewed by, I am laughing the whole time. No wonder your podcast and everything you are doing is so successful”

– Devan Kline(Founder of Burn Boot Camp)

“THIS HAS BEEN THRILLING.”

– Seth Godin(Best-Selling Author of 18 BooksIncluding Purple Cow)

“I really appreciate you.”

– Jeff Hoffman(Serial Entrepreneur and Co-Author of SCALE)

Ross Golan Bio:

Accomplished. Incredibly gifted. Relentless. Brilliant. It is safe to say the man Ross Golan is an elite in the music industry. When looking at Ross’s songwriting career and music accomplishments, you can’t help but be very impressed. He is the Host and producer of the hit podcast show “And the Writer Is . . .”. A multi-platinum songwriter, Ross studied music at the University of South California. He has penned music for the likes of Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Buble, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, One Direction, Prince Royce, Snoop Dogg, and countless others. He has had multiple record deals and developed a one-man musical called, The Wrong Man. It received three Ovation Awards. He is currently signed to Warner Chappell Music.

About Ross Golan (Song-writer and founder of the And The Writer Is Podcast)

Ross, I was first introduced to your podcast by my friend, and Atlantic music artist, Colton Dixon, and I will tell you sincerely that I absolutely love your podcast And the Writer Is…what inspired you to start this podcast?

I believe that it is important to show what it is like to write music in real time. I thought that thee would be about 300 people that would listen to it. It turns out that other people want to listen to it as well.

Ross for the aspiring artists out there listening to today’s show…I would love for you break down how the industry fits together…and if we can I want to start with A&R people…or Artists and Repertoire people…one of my clients Colton Dixon speaks very highly of his A&R guy, David Silberstein…what do people like David do for their artist clients?

Artist and Repertoire. Back in the day, there were people who were the artist and the others were the repertoire. It wasn’t until 1960 that artists started doing both.

Ross, what does the process of actually writing a song look like?

In the case of the song “My House” we were just playing with ideas on the piano. We had just listened to early Adele songs and we were aiming to write for them. Out of that came the verses and chorus for “My House” slowed down.

Ross, on your And the Writer Is…you interviewed Ryan Tedder who I went to college with and who sang at my wedding about proximity and the importance of it…why is it important for aspiring musicians to move to LA or Nashville?

The reason I met Flo was because I was working next door to him. The reason why I met most of the artists was because we were all working in the same studios in L.A. and Nashville.

Ross, when did you first feel like you began to gain traction with your career?

In 2003 I got my first record deal. I started my first record company in college. I recorded my first album called “Regan Baby” and there was a bidding war to fund the record company.

Ross, what role does math play in song-writing?

I gave a keynote speech at SXSW on this. It is about composition and rhythm. If you understand music theory, that is what I mean by “math”

Ross, during your Billboard interview, I believe you said, “when you have a conversation and you listen to yourself for an hour weekly, you will ask questions differently, you will listen to answers differently and you will become a better conversationalist. In general, my relationships outside of the interview process have improved because I’ve learned that I might actually care about what other people have to say more than I care about what I have to say. As my grandpa said, ‘No one ever learned anything from speaking.’ My friend, why was this game-changing for you?

You can learn how to become a better communicator. It has helped me grow as a person and as a podcaster. When you listen back to yourself, you are more conscious of how you talk to people and when you interrupt them.

Song-Writers

Songwriters have a variety of different roles within the music industry. However, most songwriters write the melodies and the lyrics to the songs that we all hear on TOP 40 radio.

However, within the industry, some songwriters have chosen to specialize in certain aspects of the songwriting process. As an example, some songwriters specialize in producing beats and some are known for specializing in lyric writing.

A&R – Artists and Repertoire

The artist and repertoire is actually a part or a division of the record label and their entire job is focused on scouting for new music talent for the record label to sign and to help develop both music artists and songwriters.

Recording Artists

Recording artists are the personalities, the singers and the bands that sing that music that we all know. Some recording artists write their own songs, however many do not.

Over the years it has become increasingly popular for artists to collaborate with songwriters to write their music.

Producers

Typically a record producer or a music producer is a person who manages the actual recording of the sound and much of the editing and overall production related to completing an actual song. Producers often serve in a wide range of roles in recording sessions including:

Proposing changes to the overall song arrangements.

Mentoring, encouraging and coaching the musicians, talent and singers in the studio environment.

Actually co-writing songs with authors.

Finding, booking and selecting the studio musicians to play during the recording sessions.

Music production is often times broken up into three different positions including: the music producer, the executive producer, and the vocal producer

The executive producer is generally the business person in the room who looks over a recording projects costs and overall budget.

The music producer is typically a talented musician who has the ability to arrange and write songs. After a recording session is complete, a music producer will take the recorded audio and will obsessively edit the digital audio files to create a song that is ready to play on radio stations.

The vocal producer typically has a vast knowledge of harmonization, song composition, the various microphones that are available and digital recording.

Mastering

Mastering is the absolute final step in the audio recording process. The goal when mastering a song is to equalize and balance the various aspects of a song optimize the audio playback experience for listeners of the music. When mastering a song, producers seek to ensure the uniformity of the volume and the consistency of sound between various songs and tracks of an album.

Managers

As a general rule, the managers who represent musical artists to help them get paid. Managers are constantly looking for opportunities to get their artists paid via utilizing their music for advertising and marketing.

Managers also assist their clients in negotiating their record deals.

Managers assist the artists in helping them to secure endorsement deals.

Managers typically get paid 15% to 20% of an artists gross income.

Publishers

A music publisher is a group in charge of ensuring that the composers and songwriters receive payment when their songs are used commercially.

They also work to find ways to ensure that music recording artists and songwriters get paid for the use of their music in both film and television.

Record Labels

The record labels are the businesses that promote recorded music and corresponding music videos.

Record labels are always recruiting and attempting to develop a pipeline of new artists.

They are also in charge of copyright enforcement.

Definition

The Brill Building (often referred to as The Brill Building Sound) was a super music managing and production facility.

It sat on Broadway between 49th and 53rd streets. The Brill Building was named after the Brill Brothers and was located at 1619 Broadway. For financial reasons, the Brill Building was forced to rent space to music publishers, since they had no luck securing more tenants. Some of the first tenants were Southern Music, Mills Music, and Famous-Music. By 1962 the Brill Building had 165 music businesses under their roof.

“YOU GUYS ARE BRILLIANT, ENTERTAINING, AND CRUSHING IT!”

“You are my favorite person I’ve ever been interviewed by, I am laughing the whole time. No wonder your podcast and everything you are doing is so successful”

– Devan Kline(Founder of Burn Boot Camp)

“THIS HAS BEEN THRILLING.”

– Seth Godin(Best-Selling Author of 18 BooksIncluding Purple Cow)

“I really appreciate you.”

– Jeff Hoffman(Serial Entrepreneur and Co-Author of SCALE)

Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, on today’s show, we have the opportunity to interview the top 40 songwriter, lyricist and podcaster, Mr. Ross Golan. Now Jason, who has Ross Golan written songs for throughout his epic music career?

Speaker 1: My mind can’t even handle it. We could keep reading this list all day.

Speaker 2: All day.

Speaker 1: The entire show could just be us reading the names of songs he’s written. But instead, let’s get into the rest of our intro. In 2016, Ross Golan was named as the BMI Pop Music Songwriter of the Year. As a strong advocate for the music industry, Ross Golan has pushed the initiative to add the songwriters to the actual Grammy award for album of the year, which means because of Ross Golan, as of 2017, that was the first year, 2017 was the first year that songwriters could actually receive a Grammy award for the Album of the Year.

Speaker 1: And on today’s show, he shares about the importance of learning how to communicate effectively, the role math plays in songwriting, how the song My House came to be, and much, much more. Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t even believe it, we’ve got Ross Golan here with you on the Thrivetime Show. Jason, it has occurred to me that Ross Golan has not written music with one very important person.

Speaker 2: Who is that?

Speaker 1: Cobra Commander.

Speaker 3: Some shows don’t need a celebrity narrator to introduce the show, but this show does. Two men, eight kids co-created by two different women, 13 multi-million dollar businesses… Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Thrivetime Show.

Speaker 4: It’s the R to the O to the S, S Golan. He’s had a lot of hits but his head ain’t swollen. He doesn’t need an intro, but I’m already rolling, And The Writer Is… is the name of his show, and… Put the red light on it’s time for some recording, prep the [inaudible 00:03:00] because this one’s important. He’s taking our show to the [inaudible 00:03:04] heights, he’s Ross Golan, and his songs are nice.

Ross Golan: I am doing lovely here in Southern California outside where the streets are paved with actors’ dreams, so they say.

Speaker 1: I was first introduced to your podcast And The Writer Is… by one of my clients, and the Atlantic music recording artist Colton Dixon, and I just love your podcast, my friend. What first inspired you to start the And The Writer Is… podcast?

Ross Golan: I’d said it in the first episode this season with [inaudible 00:03:56] in it, I was talking to him about how I think it was important to show our generation writing music in real time, versus previous generations like the Brill Building where you have the greatest writers of that generation who have only been interviewed in retrospect about what it was like then, rather than having those interviews in real time.

Ross Golan: So, the idea was originally just for our group of friends, I thought there’d be about 300 people who would listen to it and just thought everyone would take a turn, and everyone would celebrate each other, and then it turned out that other people wanted to listen to it also. So, pretty exciting. Pretty exciting.

Speaker 1: Well Ross, for the aspiring artists out there listening to today’s show, I’d love for you to break down how the music industry fits together. I know Colton, my client, he speaks very highly of his A&R guy, David Silberstein. Could you kind of explain to me, what does an A&R guy do for an artist?

Ross Golan: An AA&R is… Stands for artists and repertoire. It used to be where there’d be an artist who would be a singer or maybe it’d be a jazz musician, and repertoire would be the music that they would cover. There were people who created the repertoire, and there were the artists who performed it. It wasn’t really primarily until the 1960s when you would have the Beatles starting to do it, on their first album it was about 50/50 songs they covered versus songs that they wrote. Same with Bob Dylan.

Ross Golan: These writers started writing more and more of their own music, to the point where now it’s about 50/50 artists that are primarily writers versus artists that are singers. Even artists that are singers do their best attempt at writing. The name artists and repertoire, comes from artists and repertoire.

Speaker 1: You wrote the song My House, which obviously became the Flo Rida hit, and I understand it was about you and your wife not going out very much, kind of being home bodies, and it had got turned into some kind of hip hop anthem about having a great time at the club. What does the process of actually writing a song look like?

Ross Golan: In that case in particular it was more about, we were quite literally just playing around ideas on the piano where Johann had… Basically we had just listened to a bunch of the really early Adele versions from the second album, I believe it was 25, and we were aiming to write for that. We spent about 12 and a half minutes freestyling Adele melodies, and out of that came quite literally the verse and chorus of My House slowed down 30 BPM.

Ross Golan: We were like, “I bet if we sped this up it could actually be something with tempo,” and then you drop my voice down a third and I sound identical to Flo Rida. So, there you go, all of a sudden we had a Flo Rida song. It was a really pinpointed pitch too. I know Flo, and I know that [inaudible 00:07:30] our team around him. We all went specifically towards Flo, and he’s a great guy, super nice, always an easy person to work with. It was a fun process.

Speaker 1: Another great guy that I think you and I, a mutual acquaintance, Ryan Tedder, I went to college with Ryan at Oral Roberts university, and we lived on the same floor; EMR4 North. Ryan sang at our wedding, and I heard him on your podcast talking about how proximity is so important for artists and musicians. Why is it so important for the aspiring artists listening to today’s show to eventually move to L.A. or Nashville or maybe just a few other key music spots?

Ross Golan: Here’s an actual example where I was working at a studio three rooms down. The first time I met Flo Rida I was just working literally in the same building, and somebody came in, said, “Do you guys want to write a bridge?” And it was to work on Good Feeling. Here they were working on a song that later became a number one song worldwide, and they just knocked on the door and said, “Hey, we need help on the bridge, do you want to come in?” And we were able to come in. Most of the time it doesn’t work out like that, but the idea of quite literally being in the room next door makes a big difference.

Ross Golan: If you go back to the Brill Building as an example, they were all people with pianos and cubicles, that’s how they were making it happen. They would literally just walk into each other’s spaces and give advice. The best studios in L.A. are communal like that were where they can kind of help each other out. So, I do think L.A. and Nashville, you go to these writing places off of music row in Nashville, and you have six rooms going at once.

Ross Golan: You just hear people writing their song in their room, and it keeps a competitive vibe, and it gets people working together. You meet people while you’re getting coffee, you meet people while you’re eating your snack, while you’re eating your lunch. So, that proximity just keeps it going, keeps you meeting people.

Speaker 1: Through proximity, and obviously talent and skill and hard work, you’ve been able to build quite a career for yourself. When do you feel like you personally started to really gain traction with your career?

Ross Golan: I got my first record deal in 2003 or 2004. I basically started a record company while I was in college as an internship program, and would write all the songs for all the singers that I met, and so I was kind of creating a publishing company and a record company at the time. I recorded my first album called Reagan Baby, and there was something of a bidding war, and the head of EMI said that he would help fund the record company.

Ross Golan: That’s essentially how I got my first record deal. It wasn’t like somebody opened up any doors other than you have to let the music open the doors for you. That was the first time I had the traction. I think if you get a major publishing deal or a major record deal, then you can kind of leverage off of that, and just be patient. That’s where the first one.

Speaker 1: I have two final questions for you. You talk a lot about math and songwriting, you talk a lot about math on your podcast. Can you explain to our listeners what you mean by math?

Ross Golan: Yeah. I gave a keynote speech at South by Southwest about song math, and it was pretty deep. In a short phrase it’s really a music theory for song, is the gist of it. It’s all about composition, and about discipline, and understanding the different genres and how the listener hears, and how you can entertain your listener to their best ability because they have certain expectations. If you understand music theory, that’s really song math. It’s just a modern way of calling contemporary composition.

Speaker 1: My final question I had for you is, I read and during a billboard.com interview that you did where you said, “One thing that people should do in their life is record themselves speaking for one hour every week, and then listen back,” like you do on your podcast. Why did you say that? What do you mean by that?

Ross Golan: I’m sure you can relate. The magnifying glass in how you actually communicate. I think people don’t listen to how they communicate, I think they assume they know how they communicate, but if you could actually hear how you communicate, how you listen, how you respond to people, how you respect people, what your cadence is, understanding when you say ums and likes, and interrupt people.

Ross Golan: All those things have a lot of value in your daily life, and no doubt if you put a microphone in front of your face once a week, you’ll quickly hear your faults. But fortunately after 50 something episodes with And The Writer Is… I feel like I’ve corrected some of my initial personal, at least how I perceived how I communicated, and I feel like it’s really affected me outside of the podcast realm. It’s been very useful.

Speaker 1: You do a really good job getting into the deep stories that I don’t think are available anywhere else, and I appreciate you taking the time to let us into a behind the scenes look of the music industry, and also for allowing us to steal 15 minutes of your time today, my friend. I really appreciate you.

Ross Golan: You got it. Best of luck. Thank you to your listeners, and I’ll see you on the podcast field.

Speaker 1: All right, Thrive Nation. There is so much meat to unpack there, but on today’s show notes we put a list of all of the artists that Ross Golan has worked with that we know of. We’ve put a link to the songs that he’s written. We’ve put a lot of information up there because I think it’s really important if you’re out there and you are in the music industry to understand how all of the various parts of the music industry fit together.

Speaker 1: In terms of the creative process, with the actual song writing, and how that fits with the artists, and how that connects to the A&R people, and how that connects with the producer, and how that connects with the person that masters the song, and how that connects with the record label, and how artists get paid. There’s just so much good stuff there on today’s show notes, and I’d encourage you to check it out today by going to thrivetimeshow.com.

Speaker 1: If you’re out there today, and you are thinking about becoming a full time songwriter or music artist, check out his podcast And The Writer Is… Again, his podcast is And The Writer Is… An incredible show. Each show is fascinating where he interviews the artists behind the Top 40 music that you know, and we like to make every show actionable. I would encourage you to think about it today. Think about this today. Ross Golan has written an unbelievable number of hit songs, but that required him to get rejected a lot more than the average person, and if you listen to his podcast And The Writer Is… you’re going to discover that this guy puts in the work.

Speaker 1: He puts in the effort, he views his songwriting as not just a hobby but it is a full time occupation, and he just writes, he works diligently, he works so hard, and his songs get better year after year, after year. I would just encourage you today to rate yourself on a scale of one to 10. If 10 is that Ross Golan work ethic where you’re working as unto the Lord, you’re working so hard, you’re putting in that effort, you’re really just getting it done. Whereas that one is just mailing it in, and working when you feel like it. How hard are you truly working?

Speaker 1: Rate yourself today on a scale of one to 10. 10 being the highest, one being the least, how diligent are you being about your daily effort, your daily diligence? Are you truly putting in the consistent effort needed to win or are you just mailing it in it? And now without any further ado, we like to end each and every show with a boom. So, here we go. Three, two, one, boom!

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